Legion Class Preview Series: Rogue, Ability Tooltips, Blue Tweets

In this blog on Rogues in Legion, you'll find information on the fantasy behind each spec, several sample abilities and one sample talent. This is part of a series of class blogs discussing the reasoning for class changes and improvements before beta begins.

Blizzard

Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Rogue—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview. We finish off our early look at class and specialization design with the Rogue. In these blogs, we’ve been exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Rogue in World of Warcraft.Rogues fend for themselves, looking for fights in which they dictate the terms. They’re the shadows in the night that remain unseen until the right moment comes to strike—then they dispatch an opponent with quick blade work or a deadly toxin snuck acutely into the bloodstream. Rogues are opportunistic thieves, bandits, and assassins, but there’s an unparalleled art to what they do.As with Hunters, the three Rogue specializations have long suffered from a lack of distinct identity. What truly sets an Assassination Rogue apart from Subtlety? And just what is a “Combat” Rogue anyway? Aren’t all three pretty focused on the art of combat? With that in mind, we’re making some bold changes that take each spec in a much more pronounced direction. We’re finding what makes them each special and amplifying their fantasy by creating abilities and talents unique to each spec that better align with their core theme. Assassination One of the favorite tools of the assassin is a pair of daggers coated with vicious poisons. The damage they inflict is deceiving at first—the initial wounds often seem survivable, even superficial. Then the toxins set about their business. Wounds don’t close, and blood loss continues unabated. Assassins begin their work stealthily, choosing their targets and methods of engagement carefully—but once committed to a course of action, they stick to their target until the job is done rather than disappearing into the shadows to avoid their quarry’s blows. "Assassins begin their work stealthily, choosing their targets and methods of engagement carefully"GameplayFor Rogues, no specialization describes itself better than Assassination, which also remains closely aligned with its existing fantasy. And we’re further enhancing those themes through their gameplay. First, this is now the only Rogue spec with access to poisons and bleeds, making much of your damage a little more delayed, but nonetheless massive. In addition, Venomous Wounds triggers based on a combination of bleeds and poisons now to accentuate that gameplay. Assassination is home to the most volatile combo-building. Mutilate is already effective in this regard, but Seal Fate needed some improvement—it now can trigger from both hands with Mutilate.Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Assassination Rogues:

45 Energy, Melee Range, Instant, 15 sec cooldown

Garrote the enemy, causing strong damage over 18 sec and awarding 1 combo point. Silences the target for 3 sec when used from Stealth.

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Assassination-specific talents:

Passive

Your finishing moves grant 20% increased damage done for 4 sec.

Combat GONE! OK, not exactly. The lack of a clear theme for the Combat Rogue really gave us an opportunity to reimagine the spec in Legion, to ensure that they have their own depth of character and a unique fighting style that sets them apart from the other Rogue specs. Outlaw "To survive in such a world, outlaws must become master swordsmen in toe-to-toe combat—and they can’t shy away from fighting dirty"Outlaw rogues are the unscrupulous scoundrels of Azeroth. Operating outside the law, they bend the rules and distort the truth to get what they need. While they share plenty in common with other rogues, these outlaws have little use for tact or discretion, happy to engage in a tavern brawl or spontaneous duel, rarely patient enough to wait in stealth for the opportune time to engage. To survive in such a world, outlaws must become master swordsmen in toe-to-toe combat—and they can’t shy away from fighting dirty. If blade fails to cut too deeply, the outlaw takes advantage of a concealed pistol, catching the enemy by surprise with a quick blast.GameplayTo achieve the “swordmaster” fantasy we’re going for with the Outlaw Rogue, we’re giving them several new and upgraded abilities, such as Saber Slash and Pistol Shot. We’re also deemphasizing Stealth, with Ambush being their only remaining opening move. Stealth will still provide its core Rogue utility, but Outlaws are more comfortable fighting toe-to-toe with a sword than skulking about. Finally, we’re ensuring that Outlaws retain several signature abilities from Combat, such as Adrenaline Rush and Blade Flurry. These abilities provide a good basis on which to build new and distinct flavor. A wide variety of talents enhance the fantasy further with themes of the swordmaster, brawler, or even pirate.Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Outlaws:

Subtlety Subtlety rogues are the masters of the shadows, and they strike unseen. They don’t have the lethal poison-tipped daggers of the assassin or the brawling prowess of the outlaw, but their acumen on the battlefield and ability to hide in plain sight are unrivaled. Some claim the art of subtlety looks like malevolent shadow magic—but no matter from where their power is derived, these rogues are capable of performing devastating assaults on their enemies, slipping away unharmed to strike again without detection. Most rogues train their entire lives to learn how to walk in the shadows—subtlety rogues were born there. "The subtlety rogue's acumen on the battlefield and ability to hide in plain sight are unrivaled"GameplayAs the true masters of stealthy gameplay, we’ve pushed Subtlety further toward making heavy use of Stealth as their primary combat mechanic. The new version of Shadow Dance allows Subtlety to weave in and out of Stealth rotationally. Meanwhile, Shadowstrike provides incredible mobility for attacking from Stealth. Finally, to further reinforce the matter of their relationship with sinister Shadow magic, Subtlety makes use of a new ability called Nightblade, which applies Shadow damage over time.Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Subtlety Rogues:

Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to activate Stealth. For 3 sec, this Stealth will not break when you autoattack or take damage. When this effect occurs, a Shadow Decoy will appear nearby, confusing your enemies.

Developer Comment: This will function differently in PvP, granting the use of abilities that require Stealth, but not actually providing Stealth.

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Subtlety-specific talents:

Passive

You gain an additional 40 Energy when you enter Stealth.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Rogue class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’re looking forward to hearing more feedback and sharing in ongoing conversations with the community regarding these and all of the other changes we’ve discussed in this series, and we’re excited to get this information out before our broader beta phase to make sure we have as much time as possible to iterate and carry on the conversation.Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in the Legion beta!Return to the overview for the full class preview series.

Comments

Comment by Sounalius

Well I can't wait to pair myself with a leather hat and call myself "Good Hunter".

Comment by bladtm

on 2015-11-12T07:17:36-06:00

if outlaw rogues get to use pistols ... then why not give them more pistol skills and change the artifact for the specc: sword + pistol combination.

Comment by Zeth1994

on 2015-11-12T07:19:49-06:00

Overall the specs seem pretty cool, very true to the fantasy of the rogue. I do feel like the Outlaw can be a very fun spec to play in both PvP and PvE, however if they remove Killing Spree I'll flip a table. With that said, Subtlety seems like the Shadow Dancer that every rogue RPer want's to be, the new passive Shadow Dance seems like a pretty cool idea, I always found it obnoxious to tab to be able to use it. If they do remove Killing Spree from the Outlaw I hope they'll give it to Subtlety because the mechanic seems like a shadowy ability, which would fit the fantasy of the Subtlety rogue very well.

Comment by MajorTom

Comment by selte

Killing Spree is slated to be a talent in a row with other AoE talents. And with the removal of the Major Glyph slots, it will always port you back to your starting position.

Comment by Vikoloco

on 2015-11-12T07:41:56-06:00

Outlaw Rogues, that sounds SO good, can't wait to try it ! hope it really turn into something different, switching between pistol shots and sword slashin' with bleedings and shoots in the knee to slow their targets, a fighter dirty to the core !

Comment by Runaetus

on 2015-11-12T07:43:14-06:00

so outlaw is swashbuckler kind of style?

Comment by Afenar

on 2015-11-12T08:00:35-06:00

Omg Sub is awesome!111

Comment by Castrum

on 2015-11-12T08:08:21-06:00

Outlaw gets a gun? Sounds good to me.

When I first made my Rogue, I rolled Sub. Many levels later, I had discovered that not only was trying to fight toe-to-toe with many mobs solo a fool's errand, to do so in any sensible way I had to toy with CDs and cheese Vanish repeatedly. Naturally, I switched to Combat and I've been very happy ever since.

That said, I much prefer the changes Blizz is making to Sub to make it less min/max and more fun. Perhaps I'll give it another go.

Comment by GarbageJuice

on 2015-11-12T08:20:16-06:00

The first time in ages that I actually wanted to play Subtlety. Disappointed that Assassination is still pretty bland, but wow does Outlaw look amazing. I'm so glad they embraced the "swords Rogue" fantasy that seemingly everyone plays Combat for. Pistol Shot sounded strange at first, but it actually looks really cool. Another home run in my opinion.

Comment by suntauren

on 2015-11-12T08:22:59-06:00

Does this mean ... we might have 1H gun in Legion?

Comment by Zygos

on 2015-11-12T08:26:44-06:00

These changes gave me a chubby.

Comment by Hrau

on 2015-11-12T08:27:22-06:00

I think Outlaw has an ability that uses a gun, not that they actually get a gun to use as a weapon in and of itself. I could be wrong on that, but adding in a whole new set of weapons (1h guns) for 1 spec in the entire game would be a bit much. Still sounds fun though. Hopefully we'll see more clearly defined lines between the specs with all the talent choices that are coming.

Comment by Dvaashie

on 2015-11-12T08:35:52-06:00

"Combat" never really felt like a specialization that belonged to rogues, so I am happy to see this change.

Comment by raidaroth

on 2015-11-12T08:42:53-06:00

Shadow Dance

Developer Comment: This will function differently in PvP, granting the use of abilities that require Stealth, but not actually providing Stealth.

So basically in PvP it won't change at all, it will be the same old Shadow dance that we're used to have.

I wonder if it won't reset a mob that the rogue is trying to kill once he gets back on stealth, giving the rogue a reason to never use it on PvE solo environment.

From what I see, the most exciting thing about Subtlety is Shadowstrike. I'm already thinking about the mouseover and the target last target macros that I'm gonna use with it.

Comment by reikatana

on 2015-11-12T08:52:43-06:00

Mostly seems to be pretty good stuff for rogues, but one thing I really don't like is Pistol Shot. Mechanically, it looks pretty sound, but thematically? I like my rogues to be rather... silent, and a pistol is very much not. If I wanted a gun, I'd roll a hunter. Being a long-time combat rogue, I don't like it. Hopefully there is a glyph or talent that changes it into Shuriken Toss or something. For rogues, I like to think the way to go would be blades, no guns. If ranged, thrown or a bow, maybe a crossbow might be acceptable, but not guns.